Project Blue
by BakedVixen
Summary: What happens if Nick Andros wasn't alone at that orphanage? What if he had a girl with him, helping him?   This is what happens during The Stand, a girl who loves Nick, is stuck with Stu Redman for the time being, as she was there when Campion showed up.
1. Stu and Angie

I was in Arnette at the time this happened. I was visiting Stu Redman. One of my pen pals. I was there, when that man Campion, was there. Most of the men with us, Vic, Hap, Norm, Henry and Tommy, had been infected of this virus. Stu and I were different, I guess you could say, immune. They took us to the plague center, in Stovington, Vermont. Stu and I were placed in the same room, telling us that we were different and that our air was clean. We generally took turns sleeping, watching for the doctors or nurses.

I wish I hadn't left, I was spending time with Nick Andros, someone who I've loved for a long time. He was deaf and mute, but somehow, or love was the way we communicated. We met in Des Moines, Iowa. Both of us orphans. I was actually an outcast. Nick and I stayed together as a team. By the time he was sixteen, we ran away together.

He had learned to read and write from a man named Rudy Sparkman, who was very mean to Nick. I often sheltered Nick, him being the only thing I had left in this world.

"Stu..." I muttered, he was asleep. He shifted slightly, then smiled while opening his eyes. "You miss him, don't you?" He asked, implying the _him_ being Nick. I had told Stu all about Nick, telling him about the times at the orphanage and all that.

"Yeah, not just that. This place is so creepy...I wonder if we'll ever get out." I wondered aloud. Stu gave me a sympathetic smile, then a doctor came in.

"We need to do more tests." He said.


	2. Nick's Thoughts

When Nick came to, he was lying on a bunk. It was a hard one, but in the last three years or so he had lain on harder. He struggled his eyes open with great effort. They seemed gummed shut and the right one, the one that had been hit by the runaway moon, would only come to half-mast.

_Angie...I hope she's alright in Arnette_. Were his first thoughts.

He was looking at a cracked gray cement ceiling. Pipes wrapped in insulation zigzagged beneath it. A large beetle was trundling busily alone one of these pipes. Bisecting his field of vision was a chain. He raised his head slightly, sending a monstrous bolt of pain through it, and saw another chain running from the outside foot of the bunk to a bolt in a wall.

_Somehow, this doesn't reassure me. I wish she was here with me...but if she were, I bet that gang of men who beat me, would have raped her...or worse._

He sighed, slightly hoping his love was alright. Once he saw her again, he swore to make her his. He was only thinking of her well being and not his.


	3. How Many Are Out There?

Stu Redman and Angie Galvan were frightened.

Stu looked out the barred window of their new room in Stovington. Vermont, and what he saw was a small town far below, miniature gas station signs, some sort of mill, a main street, a river, the turnpike and beyond that turnpike the granite backbone of far western New England-the Green Mountains.

"This place is more like a jail cell than a hospital bed!" He shouted, startling her.

"You can saw that again." She sighed, playing with the ends of her hair.

Stu found her very beautiful, she had soft, Honey blond hair and beautiful blue eyes. But she was semi-taken. Meaning, she loved another.

They both hadn't seen Denninger since the whole crazy three-ring circus moved from Atlanta to here. Deitz was gone, too. Stu thought that maybe Denninger and Deitz were sick, perhaps dead already.

"How many people do you think have it?" She asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"I'm guessing a lot...I wonder how many are dead..." He said and she frowned.

"You'll see him again." He responded to her frown, reassuring her.

They still did tests on them here, but they seemed desultory. The schedule had become slipshod. Results were scrawled down and he had suspicion that someone looked at them cursorily, shook his head, and dumped them in the nearest shredder.

"I don't understand why they bring guns in here. If they wanna take tests, killing us is gonna get you nowhere." She reasoned, and he smiled.

"They're only trying to scare us. But we know, they're the scared ones." He said truthfully.

"I'm scared too." She confessed.

"I am a bit too, I'll admit."

He was afraid for his life, although he still felt fine and had begun to believe he wasn't, or she either, going to catch It, whatever It was.

Thoughtfully, Stu wondered if it would be possible to escape from here.

"We need to get out of here." He said to her, her eyes soon shone with curiousity.

"How will we do that?" She wondered.

"I'm not sure...but there's got to be a way. We're two, so it might be easier. Like they say, two heads are better than one."

That night, neither of them slept, too busy thinking of how to get out of this hellhole. Angie soon passed out around 6 am, leaving Stu to keep wondering.


	4. But Angie, I still love you, baby

A shadow rose, danced on the propped-open door, and then a large man in khaki suntans walked into the corridor. He was wearing a Sam Browne belt and a big pistol. He hooked his thumbs into his pants pockets and looked at Nick for almost a full minute without speaking.

_What does he want with me? I didn't do anything wrong..._

Then he said. "When I was a boy we caught ourselves a mountan lion up in the hills and shot it and then drug it twenty miles back to town over dirt hardpan. What was left of that creature when we got home was the sorriest-lookin sight I ever saw. You the second-sorriest, boy."

Nick thought it had the feel of prepared speech, carefully honed and treasured, saved for our-of-towners and vags that occupied the barred Saltine boxes from time to time.

"You got a name, Babalugah?"

Nick put a finger to his swelled and lacerated lips and shook his head. He put a hand over his mouth, then cut the air with it in a soft diagonal hashmark and shook his head again.

"What? Cain't talk? What's this happy horseshit?" The words were amiable enough, but Nick couldn't follow tones or inflections. He plucked an invisible pen from the air and wrote with it.

"You want a pencil?"

Nick nodded.

"If you're mute, how come you don't have none of those cards?"

Nick shrugged. He turned out his empty pockets. He balled his fists and shadowboxed the air, which sent another bolt of pain through his head and another wave of nausea through his stomach. He finished up by tapping his own temples lightly with his fists, rolling his eyes up, and sagging on the bars. Then he pointed to his empty pockets.

"You were robbed."

Nick nodded.

The man in khaki turned away and went back to his office. A moment later he returned with a dull pencil and a notepad. He thrust them through the bars.

Moments later, deep in their conversation...

"I've been traveling around but I'm not a vagabond. I was with a woman named Angie Galvan for a while, but she went to Arnette to visit someone. Spent today working for a named named Rich Ellerton around 6 miles west of here. I cleaned his barn & put up a load of hay in his loft. Last week I was in Watts, Okla. with Angie, running fence. The men who beat me up got my week's pay." Nick wrote.

"You sure it was Rich Ellerton you was working for? And who's this Angie? Your girlfriend?" Baker had torn off Nick's explanation, folded it to wallet-photo size and tucked it into his shirt pocket.

Nick blushed, but nodded to the first question, then he began to write on the pad of paper.

"Angie's not my girlfriend...yet. I do love her, though." Baker smiled at Nick when he read that.

"You see Rich's dog?"

Nick nodded.

"What kind was it?"

Nick gestured for the pad. "Big Doberman," he wrote. "But nice. Not mean."

Baker nodded, turned away, and went back into his office. Nick stood at the bars, thinking of Angie and watching anxiously.

A moment later, Baker returned with a big keyring, unlocked the holding cell, and pushed it back on its track.

_I'm free_, Nick thought.

"Tell me about this Angie, I'm curious how a guy like you'd get a girl. No offense, though." Baker asked, curiously.

Nick shook his head, smiling, as if to indicate "_Non taken._"

He reached for the notepad as they both walked into John's office.

"Angie's a wonderful girl, we've been friends for as long as I remember. She met this guy named Stu Redman, and they stayed penpals for a while. She went to go see him while we were traveling around. I miss her a lot..." Nick wrote, seeming sad.

"Well, kid, I bet she's wonderful if she's picked you." John said, showing him a plate of breakfast. Nick shook his head, but then made pouring and drinking motions.

"Coffee? Got that. You take coffee and sugar?"

Nick shook his head.

"Take it like a man, huh?" Baker laughed. "Come on."

Nick grabbed the notepad again, and started writing about his girl once more.

"Angie's the same way, but she doesn't drink coffee anymore. She told me, she wasn't allowed to once her doctor told her she had a heart condition." He wrote, smiling down.

"Heart condition? Woahh, that bad enough to not drink coffee? Sounds rough..." Baker said and smiled at him.

Nick nodded.

"I've got insomnia, but I don't think it's anything bad. My wife's been nagging for me to go to a real hot-shot doctor. I don't think it'll do me any good."

Nick gave him a sympathetic smile, and shrugged.

_I wonder if she's alright, I just can't stop thinking about her._


	5. Angie, ain't it good to be alive?

The same evening, as Larry Underwood slept with Rita Blakemoor and as Frannie Goldsmith slept alone, dreaming her peculiarly ominous dream, Stuart Redman and Angie Galvan were waiting for Elder. They had been waiting for three days-and this evening Elder did not disappoint them.

At just past noon on the twenty-fourth, Elder and two male nurses had come and taken away the television. The nurses had removed it while Elder stood by, holding his revolver (neatly wrapped in a Baggie) on Stu and Angie. But by then Stu and Angie hadn't wanted or needed the TV-it was just putting out a lot of confusing shit anyway. All Stu wanted to do was stand at his barred window and look out at the town on the river below, and Angie just sat in the room, reminiscing about Nick and dreaming odd dreams.

Like a man on the record said, "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows."

"Listen, Angie, we need a way out of here. And Elder will grant it to us." Stu said, out of the blue.

She looked at him oddly, but nodded. "How so, Stu?" She asked, very curious.

"He's going to try to kill him, but I have a plan, just play along, Angie baby." He said and winked at her. She smiled, half-heartidly at him.

"That's what...y'know, Nick used to call me..." She said.

"I bet he's still out there..." Stu said, wrapping an arm around the young woman.

"What if we're the only immune ones?" She asked, sobbing now.

"Don't think that way, honey..." He whispered and she looked at him. He was quite handsome in his own way, but she loved Nick. She stayed faithful, even if Stu and her had kissed before. And now was not an exception.

He pressed his lips to hers and slid his tongue carefully in her mouth. She moaned gently, but responded to the kiss. Their tongues dancing, saliva swapping and lips touching. A moment of bliss...

After that, they began to talk...

"Three years ago, I bought a book called _Watership Down_ for my nephew. I started reading it, even though I hate reading. But it was quite good. I still remember one saying...'going tharn'. Do you know what that means?" He said, comfortably sitting on the bed with Angie.

"Yes, I do. I've read the book." She said and he smiled.

"I always feel that way around Elder." He confessed.

"Me too...I feel like I'm about to get attacked." She said softly.

"I won't let him hurt you, I promise." He said, their lips attaching briefly.

The red light went on over the door at just past 10 p.m., and Stu felt a light perspiration break on his arms and face. He looked at Angie, who looked frightened. They would feel that way every time the red light went on, because one of these times Elder would be alone. He would be alone because he wouldn't want witnesses. There would be a furnace somewhere to cremate plague victims. Elder would bundle them into it. Snip. No more loose ends.

Elder stepped through the door. Alone.

Stu was sitting on the hospital bed, Angie by his side. One of his hands were resting on her shoulder. At the sight of Elder they both felt a familiar sickening drop in their bellies. They felt the familiar urge to spill out a flood of loose, pleading words, in spite of their knowledge that such pleas would avail them nothing.

There was no mercy in the face behind the white-suit's transparent visor.

"How are you feeling?" Elder asked, even through the tinny speaker Stu and Angie could hear the nasal quality of Elder's voice. Elder was sick.

"Just the same," Stu said, surprised at the evenness of his voice. "Say, when do we get out of here?"

"Very soon now," Elder said, still eying Angie. She didn't like that, he had done that the first time he came in the room. It made her uncomfortable. He was pointing the gun in Stu's general direction, while licking his lips at Angie, not precisely at Stu, but not precisely away, either. He uttered a muffled sneeze. "She don't talk much, does she?"

Stu shrugged, wrapping an around her shoulder protectively.

"Nor do you." Elder stated.

Once again, a shrug.

"I like that in a man," Elder said. "Your big talkers, they're your wimperers and whiners and belly-achers. I just got the word on you two, about twenty minutes ago, Mr. Redman and Ms. Galvan-" Elder said but was cut short by Angie.

"It's ." She said, hoping someday it would be.

"...Anyways, they aren't such hot orders, but I think you two will do okay."

"What orders?"

"Well, I've been ordered to-"

Stu's eyes flicked past Elder's shoulder, toward the high riveted sill of the airlock door. "Christ Jesus!" he exclaimed, shooting a glance at Angie, "That's a fucking rat, what kind of place are you running with rats in it?"

Elder turned, and for a moment Stu was almost too surprised by te unexpected success of his ruse to go on. Then he slid off the bed and grasped the back of his chair in both hands as Elder began to pivot toward him again. Angie moved out of the way and Elder's eyes were wide and suddenly alarmed. Stu lifted the chair over his head and stepped forward, swinging it down, getting every ounce of his one-eighty behind it.

"Get back there!" Elder cried. "Don't-"

The chair crashed down on his right arm. The gun went off, disintegrating the Baggie, and the bullet screamed off the floor. Then the gun fell to the carpet, where it discharged again.

They were lost, very lost. This was very bad.

"Don't get tharn now, we're almost home free." He whispered to himself. They found the exit and soon, they saw the night sky. The grass was dressed with dewfall. He could hear wind whispering in the pines.

"We're alive," Stu Redman said to Angie. He began to cry and held Angie as she sobbed quietly. "We're alive, thank God, we're alive, thank You, God, thank You, God, thank You-"

Tottering a little, they began to walk down the road.


	6. Sweet Dreams Are Made Of These

_There I was, standing in that field of corn again. This time, someone was beside me, rushing through it. I glanced over and saw Nick. I almost squealed, but we were at the edge of the field. There sat an old woman, who smiled at both of us._  
_"Good to see you, Nick. You too, Angie." She said._  
_"How do you know our names?" Nick asked, and we both gasped._  
_"I can speak?" He asked._

_"Of course you can!" The woman said, and I recognized her. She was Mother Abagail, I dreamt of her often._  
_"Well, of course you do, child." She said and smirked at me. So, she could read my thoughts..._  
_"I need you two to come see me...in Nebraska. You two must wed immediately." She stated and I blushed._  
_"What do you mean, Mother Abagail?" I asked, looking at Nick who smiled at me._

_"You don't know? You two are destined to be together! Soul mates!" She said, then cackled a sweet sounding laugh._  
_"You're joking, right?" Nick asked, and I loved the sound of his voice. So masculin, so sexy._

_"No! God knows it, you two are meant to be."_

_Nick and I blushed, looking at each other but smiled. He slowly leaned in and kissed my lips softly. I loved this feeling._  
_"Now, now! Save some for the wedding!" The old woman laughed. We broke apart and laughed at her._  
_"He'll be watchin' you, Angie. So keep Stuart close, you've got to be careful not to get lost and lose him." She warned. I knew who she was talking about. The Walkin' Dude, Randall Flagg. He appeared in a series of my nightmares, which I hoped I would not have tonight._

_"No, you won't dream of him tonight." She stated, smiling at the both of us. Nick had grabbed my hand and softly kissed my fingers._  
_"Who's Stuart?" He asked, eyebrows raised._  
_"Stu...my pen pal." I said and he nodded, remembering._  
_"Things were bad in Arnette, Nick. The epidemic got mostly everyone. Except for Stu and I. The army men...the military, they took us to Stovington. The plague center...oh Nick, it was horrible." I said while clutching onto him._  
_His arms wrapped around me as I sobbed quietly._  
_"It was so frightening, all I could think of was you...I love you, Nick." I said while looking at him teary-eyed._

_"Angie, I love you too. When we find each other, I promise you, I'll never leave your side." He said and kissed me once more._  
_"And you two were asking me if I was joking when I said you were soulmates." Mother Abagail joked._  
_"When will I see you?" I asked, looking at Nick._  
_"You two will meet soon enough, you must go before the dark man finds you..." She stated._  
_I looked once more at Nick, caressed his cheek and our lips touched softly, but more passionately._  
_"Until then..." I said and ran off, but not before bumping into Stu, who was calling my name..._

"Angie...ANGIE!" I heard him yell.  
"Ughhh...Stu?" I asked, disoriented.  
"Good! You're awake! You've been having dreams again." He said.  
"...Stu, do you dream of an old woman named-" I asked before he cut me off.  
"Mother Abagail? Yeah, ever since we arrived at Stovington." He responded.  
"Stu, I saw Nick in my dreams...He's alive." I said with a big smile.  
"Well, our top priority is to find other survivors, so we can look for him." Stu said and kissed my forehead.

Soulmates? Nick and I? I hoped so...


	7. I Want To Break Free

Nick couldn't sleep that night. His thoughts were packed of visions of Mrs. Baker's dead body, carrying her to the funeral home...and of course, Angie. He had a dream last night, with that old woman in it. But also, Angie. He could talk and hear and he loved the sound of Angie's voice. Kind of like a sweet sugary sound, but not too sweet. There was a menacing tone to it, just lightly. He knew it could get worse when she felt threatened.

That's when the thoughts got worse; he felt a swelling sensation below the belt. He remembered the time they had decided to experiment sexually. He couldn't take it any longer, so he decided to take matters in his own hands, literally.

He pumped his member, his breathing getting shorter and harder, as pleasure surged through his body, as if it was all new to him. Nick wished it were Angie doing this to him, and not himself. He also wished he was thrusting into her core, and not his hand. But beggars can't be choosers.

Soon enough, he let out a satisfied sigh as his seed spilled on his hand and stomach. He suddenly felt disgusted of himself.

_I can't even control myself..._

He soon stripped off his shirt and lay on the cot, shirtless. His breathing got to normal and he soon found comfort and fell into a deep sleep.

_"Nick!" Angie shouted, the Dark Man holding her by the waist. Nick tried to grasp onto her, but the pair of arms around her were stronger. He couldn't let him take her. Nick didn't know what he would do if he lost her. She shouted, pleaded and punched while Nick still tried, but to his avail, the Dark Man dragged his beloved away..._

Nick woke up in a cold sweat. He was alone now. He had to leave and find her. There was nothing else he could do.

_I shouldn't have let her go in the first place..._


	8. Glen Bateman

They came around the bend and there was the dog, an auburn-colored Irish setter. It barked joyously at the sight of Stu and Angie and ran up the road, toenails clicking on the composition surface, tail wagging frantically back and forth. It jumped up, placing its forepaws on Stu's belly, and it's forward motion made him stagger back a step. Angie giggled slightly. "Whoa, boy." Stu said, grinning.

The dog barked happily at the sound of his voice and leaped up again.

"Kojak!" A stern voice said, and Stu jumped and stared around. "Get down! Leave that man alone! You're going to track all over his shirt! Miserable dog!"

Kojak put all four feet on the road again and walked around stuff with his tail between his legs. The tail was still flipping back and forth in suppressed joy despite its confinement, however, and Stu decided this one would never make much of a canine put-on artist.

Now they could see the owner of the voice-and of Kojak, it seemed like. A man about sixty wearing a ragged sweater, old gray pants… and a beret. He was sitting on a piano stool and holding a palette. An easel with a canvas stood on it before him.

Now he stood up, placed the palette on the piano stool (under his breath Stu and Angie heard him mutter, "Now don't forget and sit on that"), and walked toward the two of them with his hand extended. Beneath the beret his fluffy grayish hair bounced in a small and mellow breeze.

"I hope you intend no foul play with that rifle, sir. Glen Bateman, at your service."

Stu stepped forward and took the outstretched hand ( Kojak was growing frisky again, bouncing around Stu and Angie but not daring to renew his leaps-no yet, at least). "Stuart Redman and this is Angie Galvan. Don't worry about the gun. We ain't seen enough people to start shootin em. In fact, we ain't seen any, until you."

"Do you two like caviar?"

"Never tried it." Angie and Stu said in unison, smiling at each other.

"Then it's time you did. And if you don't care for it, there's plenty of other things. Kojak, don't jump. I know you're thinking of renewing your crazed leaps-I can read you like a book-but control yourself. Always remember, Kojak, that control is what separates the higher orders from the lower. Control!"

His better nature thus appealed to, Kojak shrank down on his haunches and began to pant. He had a big grin on his doggy face.

"I'm inviting you two to lunch," Bateman said. "You are the first human beings I've seen, at least in the last week. Will you stay?"  
"We'd be glad to."  
"Southerner, aren't you, Stu?"  
"East Texas."  
"An Easterner, my mistake." Bateman cackled at his own wit.  
"And you, miss Galvan? Where are you from?"  
"Originally from Ontario…but I used to live in Des Moines…" I said, with a sigh.  
"Ahhh, Des Moines. Beautiful place." Bateman said and we continued our path.


	9. Randall Flagg's Appearance

_"Angie!" Nick shouted. My mind rushed, where was his voice coming from? I was in a vast corridor, the lights off. Only candles seemed to flicker through the strange ornaments hung up on the walls. Serpents. The flames being the tongues._

_"ANGIE HELP ME!" He shouted, this time in a panicked voice. I rushed off in the darkness; this hallway seemed to go on forever. That's when I saw them. The Walkin' Dude and Nick. He had Nick by the throat and was carrying him several inches off the ground._

_"LET HIM GO!" I yelled, angrily. I didn't want him to die, but what I was doing wasn't very brave. _

_"Just bow down and worship me, and I'll put him down." Randall said._  
_"I will never worship you." I spat out, venom dripping from my voice._

_"Then he will die!" Flagg cackled, tightening his grip around Nick's neck._

_"NO!" I shouted, and soon fell into the darkness once more._

"Angie, you alright?" Stu asked, holding me in his strong arms. It was before midnight, and he was sweating quite a bit. So was I, to be honest.

"I didn't wake up Glen, did I?" Was all I asked.

"No…He's asleep. So is Kojak." Stu said, pointing to the dog, who seemed to be dreaming too.

"Stu, I had a nightmare…Randall got Nick." I said and tears brimmed my eyes.

"Don't worry, Honey. Randall's not going to hurt him…or you, for that matter. I'd never let him." He said, kissing my forehead.

I soon found myself falling asleep, with Stu's arms around me.

_"But how do I tell him no? How do I-"_

_"How do you breathe? How do you dream? No one knows. But you come see me, with that Angie. Anytime. I'm the oldest woman in these parts, I guess, and I still make m'own biscuit. You come see me anytime, boy, and bring your friends. Especially Angie…"_

_"Angie?" Nick asked._

_I was hearing this; I was in the cornfield again. I rushed out to see Nick and Mother Abagail._

_"There's the blushing bride-to-be." The old woman said, and truthfully as can be, I blushed._

_"Mother Abagail, I question the same thing Nick does. How do we stop…Flagg?" I asked, hopefully she had the answer._

_"The time will come, child, now you two say your goodbyes, it's time for you to leave, Angie girl." She answered._

_I sighed, looking at Nick for the second time this week. I wish it were real. This wasn't fair to me, only torture. My arms wrapped around his neck, as his wrapped around my tiny waist._

_"I can't go on without you." I whispered, kissing his ear._

_"You'll have to. Stay strong, I'll see you soon…right Mother Abagail?" Nick said, asking his question to the elder woman._

_"Of course…but you will meet some people on the way before seeing each other. Angie, there'll be another woman, I trust you two becoming great friends. But a young boy with her, won't be liking Stuart much…jealous of him of course." She explained and I nodded._

_"And Nick, be wary…something dangerous will approach soon. Remember to stay faithful to your lover, no matter what." Abagail said, winking at Nick._

_"I love you." He said and I nodded._

_"I love you too, Nick…" I said and this time he left first._

_"Before you go, Angie. I know you have a question for me." Mother Abagail said, grinning at me._

_"Why Nick? Why was I not destined to be with Stu?" I asked, smiling._

_"That woman who will be joining you soon, is Stu's. It's in God's plan. He knows which of His children are meant to be." She explained._

_"Alright, Mother Abagail." I said, smiling._

_"Besides, I see you and Nick have already a connection going on." She said, winking._

_I blushed and opened my mouth to say something, but she beat me to it._

_"Just like I said, the blushing bride-to-be." She cackled._

_"Well, go on now! You have a lot of traveling to do, honey. You come see me as soon as you can!" She said and I waved as I left._

I woke up to Stu's silent snoring. I giggled slightly, realizing he'd find someone for him soon. I also wondered who this younger boy was. And not liking Stu? Was that possible? I guess this boy most love the woman, and that he'll be jealous of Stu.

I sighed, got up and decided to go wash up.


	10. Frances Goldsmith and Harold Lauder

While Larry Underwood was taking his Fourth of July spill only a state away, Stuart Redman and Angie Galvan (or how she'd like to say to others, Andros) were sitting on a large rock at the side of the road and eating their lunch. They could hear the sound of approaching engines. Stu finished his can of beer at a swallow and carefully folded over the top of the waxed-paper tube the Ritz crackers were in.

Motorcycles coming, small ones by the sound. Two-fifties? In the great stillness it was impossible to tell how far they were. Ten miles, maybe, but only maybe. Plenty of time to eat more if they wanted to, but they didn't. In the meantime, the sun was warm and the thought of meeting fellow creatures pleasant.

So they sat up a little straighter when the motorcycles finally swept around the bend, and they saw they were a couple of Honda 250s, ridden by a boy of about eighteen and a girl who was maybe older than the boy.

Are these the people Mother Abagail was speaking of? Angie thought.

The girl was wearing a bright yellow blouse and bright blue Levi's. They saw them sitting on the rock, and both Hondas swerved a little as their drivers' surprise caused control to waver briefly. The boy's mouth dropped open. For a moment it was unclear whether they would stop or just speed by heading west.

Stu raised an empty hand and said "Hi!" in an amiable voice. His heart was beating heavily in his chest. He wanted them to stop. They did.

"I think they're all right, Harold." The girl said, but the boy she called Harold continued to stand astride his bike, looking at Stu with an expression of surprise and considering antagonism.

"I said I think-" she began again.

"How are we supposed to know that?" Harold snapped without taking his eyes off Stu and Angie.

"Well, I'm glad to see you, I'm thinking so is Angie. If that makes any difference," Stu said.

"What if I don't believe you?" Harold challenged, and Stu saw that he was scared green. Scared by him and by his responsibility to the girl.

"Well, then, I don't know." Stu climbed off the rock. Harold's hand jittered toward his holstered pistol.

"Harold, you leave that alone," the girl said. Then she fell silent for a moment they all seemed helpless to proceed further- a group of four dots which, when connected, would form a square whose exact shape could not yet be foreseen.

The couple, or not so couple, talked about going to Stovington. We told them not to, for there had been nothing there for them to see.

"I don't trust him…her either!" Harold said, pointing a finger at me.

"What did I do? Man, I'm not after your girl! Neither is Stu." I said, smirking in an unfriendly way.

"…I apologize. We've just been traveling a lot. Harold's a bit…uneasy right now. We both lost our parents." Frannie, whom I had become quite acquainted with, said.

Harold shot her a glare, but nodded.

"Alright, let's go somewhere else but Stovington. I could never go back there again." I said shuddering.

So we all decided to head out to find Glen, and decided to ask him if he'd like to come along. But before we did, we stopped at a little abandoned restaurant.

Frannie and I sat at a table, talking and giggling. It had been so long since I had a female companion. She was starting to be a good friend, even if I had only met her a few hours prior.

I told her about Mother Abagail, Randall Flagg and of course, Nick. She envied me for having a man, but I could tell she liked Stu. And, I knew, at that split second, he liked her too. Just the way they exchanged glances…

I missed and longed for Nick...


	11. No One Like You

**Another dream sequence? Yeahhh...D: Sorry, but right now, I wanna focus on this. They'll meet soon, I promise ;)! Everything belongs to Stephen King, except my change of the plot...ohh and Angie of course, she belongs to me! Enjoy 3**

_"Mother Abagail." I said, emerging from the corn, for the third time this week.__  
"How's it going with Frances and Harold?" She asked, grinning that grin of hers.  
__"I love Frannie! She's the best! I'm a bit worried for Harold…Stu really loves Frannie…" I said.  
I hoped Nick would be in my dream tonight.  
"He met someone new…Tom Cullen." She said, referring to my thoughts of Nick.  
_

_"Really?" I asked, smiling, knowing he wouldn't be alone.__  
"Poor boy's a bit slow…" She explained.  
That's when Nick appeared, smiling at me and kissing my cheek.  
"I'll let you two have your moment…go on into the house, the bedroom is yours for now…" She cackled._

_He picked me up bridal style, carrying me into the house and placing me softly on the bed. He softly kissed my jaw line and traveled towards my neck. His kisses getting a bit sloppier and rougher now changed to sucking.  
__I moaned softly and he smiled on my skin.  
My hands slowly unbuttoned his shirt, kissing down his chest as I unclasped every button.__He shivered slightly when I reached his belly button.  
My hands then undid his belt and threw it on the floor.  
He stopped me and kissed me passionately.  
"I need you, Angie." He breathed out.  
"Me too, Nick…this isn't enough for me." I admitted._

_"Just…let's make it last." He said and began taking off my shirt_._  
T__aking off my bra, he massaged my breast softly.  
I moaned out and he got a bit rougher.  
His mouth took one of my nipples into it, sucking hard.  
He could send me to heaven on earth, that he could. And it didn't take much for him to do so…_

_"Nick! Angie! You must go now!" Mother Abagail yelled from the door.  
We both sighed, but smiled.  
I picked up my bra and shirt and he buttoned up his own shirt.  
"I love you so much…" I whispered.  
"I love you too, Angie baby." He said._

_This time, we left together…_


	12. These Dreams, Do Not Reassure Me

"Angie…" Stu whispered in my ear. I was disoriented, afraid and kind of cold.

When I opened my eyes, I realized we were camping. I had forgotten about that. I was in the same tent as Stu, since Harold wanted to tent with Fran.

"Yeah, Stu, what is it?" I asked, smiling at him and rubbing my eyes.

"Let's head to Nebraska…to see Mother Abagail." He suggested and I nodded my head vigorously.

"Nick will be there." I whispered.

"I think that woman is…our leader or something. I ain't sure about it, but I'm hoping she gives us answers."

I nodded my head, yawning and lying back down.

"Sleep, sorry I woke you up." Stu said and I nodded.

_"Angie…" Stu called out. Again? Oh…was I dreaming?_

_We were in the cornfield once more, and I was trying to get out of here. But it seemed like it went on forever. No, this couldn't be happening._

_"Annnngiiieee!" I heard that venomous voice call out._

_"Flagg…" I whispered under my breath._

_I felt his breath on my neck and it tickled. My fear rose and I almost ran, but I was frozen to the spot._

_"Angieee…c'mon, come with me…you'd be a great addition to the team. I'll give you all you've ever wanted." He whispered. I felt disgusted._

_This time, I ran but he grabbed my arm and wrestled me to the ground. I could see the opening of the cornfield and there sat Mother Abagail on her porch. Nick, Stu, Fran, Harold and Glen were there…but they weren't helping me, they were laughing and waving at Flagg._

_"Help me!" I cried out, but they continued to wave and laugh. I felt myself being dragged away into the darkness…_

"Angie! Wake up! Angie, come on!" Stu yelled, shaking me a bit.

I gasped out and opened my eyes. I started crying and I couldn't control my sobs.

By the heat inside the tent, I knew it was morning.

"Angie, honey…what happened?" He asked, referring to my dream. I shook my head, afraid as ever.

"You can tell me…"

"You guys…you were there…in Nebraska with Mother Abagail…and he, Flagg, he took me away and none of you did anything to help!" I shouted, crying more.

"Listen to me, Angie, I'd never let that happen, nor would Fran, Glen, or Nick. And, I'm about 87% sure Harold wouldn't either!" He shouted back to me.

"Only 87%?" I asked, laughing a bit.

"Yeahhh…I don't trust the kid."

I got out of the tent, and blinked at the bright sunshine. Stretching and yawning, I walked over to Frannie. She looked nervous.

"Angie, can I talk to you?" She asked and I nodded. We walked towards the forest, far away from everyone.

"I…I think I love Stu." She said and I smiled.

"I figured. It's alright, Fran. He's a good guy." I replied.

"But Harold…" She mumbled.

"If Harold loves you, he'll be happy that you're happy." I said and she smiled.

So, she went to talk to Stu while I sat with Harold. Him and I hadn't got to talking much, but now was a good time.

Only thing was, he barely spoke. I had no idea why, but he just didn't say much. I sighed and gave up on him.

_When will I see Nick?_


	13. Nick Arrives In Nebraska

She was settling down to "We Are Marching to Zion" when she heard the sound of an engine off the north, coming down County Road toward her. She stopped singing but her fingers continued to twiddle absently on the strings as she cocked her head and listened…

"Praise God for bringin em through," she muttered hoarsely. Tears coursed warmly down her cheeks. "My Lord, I thank You so."

The pick up, rattling and jouncing, turned into the yard. The man behind the wheel was wearing a straw hat with a blue velvet band and a big feather tucked into it.

"_Yeeeeee-haw!_" he shouted, and waved. "Hi there, Mother! Nick said he thought you might be here and here you be!_ Yeeeeee-haw!_" He laid on the horn. Sitting with him in the cab was a man about fifty, a woman of the same age, and a little girl in a red corduroy jumper. The little girl waved shyly with one hand; the thumb of the other was corked securely in her mouth.

The young man with the dark hair—Nick—jumped over the side of the truck even before it had stopped. He caught his balance and then walked slowly toward her. His face was solemn, but his eyes were alight with joy. He stopped at the porch steps and then looked around wonderingly…at the yard, the house and the old tree with its tire swing. Most of all at her.

"Hello, Nick." She said. "I'm glad to see you. God bless."

He smiled, now beginning to shed his own tears. He came up the steps toward her and took her hands. She turned her wrinkled cheek toward him and he kissed it gently.

"Where's Angie?" She whispered.

Nick sighed, he had hoped Angie would be here before him, but then shrugged.

"I don't know about the God part, but I know something is working here. Everyone we've met has been moving north. As if you had the answer. Have you dreamed about any of the others? Dick? June or Olivia? Maybe the little girl?"

"Not any of these others. A man who doesn't talk much. A woman who is with child. A man about your age who comes to me with a guitar of his own. And you, Nick."

Nick wondered if the woman she spoke about was Angie. Was she pregnant?

"Oh, I almost forgot about dear Angie…She ain't here yet?" Mother Abagail asked.

"He says that he hoped Angie would be here before him…he wonders if she's alright." Ralph said.

"She's alright, Nick. You can feel it in your heart." The elderly woman said, pointing to his chest.

It was true, he could feel whether Angie was alright or not by the way his heart beats. During the Stovington episode, his heart would accelerate often and he would feel a bit nauseous. Maybe they were soul mates.

"When we get to Boulder, I promise, you will see her Nick. And there's going to be one heck of a wedding!" Mother Abagail cheered, not too loudly.

"Nick's told me about this Angie…is she really his soul mate?" Ralph asked.

"Of course, God told me. He told me that two of His children were meant to be…and that's Nick and Angie…"

When Nick fell asleep, he dreamt only of Angie…


	14. Diary Entries Part 1

_From Angie Galvan's Diary_

_ July 6,1990_

Alright, so since Fran's started a diary, I figured I would too.

Glen came with us. We're heading to Stovington tomorrow, really wish we weren't, but that damn Harold!It's going to haunt me forever, Stu also.  
Fran tried to get Harold to say no, but he's convinced we're lying.  
Yeah, if I were lying, would I be scared to death going there? No, I don't think I would be lying…I'm tired, but for some reason, something's keeping me awake.  
I'm afraid to dream…ever since what happened in my dream a few nights ago; I'm not too fond of dreaming.  
I'm hoping I dream of Nick, he makes me happier. I hope I get to see him soon; things are making me feel like a lost dog without a home…  
Things to remember (Stole the idea from Fran): Hmmm, I guess The Beatles, and KISS. Some of the best bands out there. Also, how Fran and I are good friends. Just to make sure things are going good, I don't want to lose her. She's amazing.

_From Angie Galvan's Diary_

_ July 7, 1990_

_We cycled all day. I'm so tired of it, but we gotta head somewhere.  
Still wish it weren't Stovington. Had a normal dream last night, at last!  
Was about dogs that followed me everywhere. __Well, it's not exactly what you'd call normal, but it's normal from the usual dreams I have. Stovington tomorrow…must go to sleep to prepare for this fucking scary place.  
Things to remember: The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys. Man, all my things to remember are bands…hmmm, how about Honey Combs cereal? Ohhh, I think while we're in…Stovington…I'll pick up a box._

_From Angie Galvan's Diary_

_July 8, 1990_

_Stovington was creepy as ever. Stu and I stayed outside. I almost cried, it was the scariest thing. It was like a nightmare all over again. _  
_I remember Stu pointing to the third floor and saying, "That was our room."_  
_Sure was, and sure was spooky as shit. _  
_I will never forget this place, even how much I wish I would._  
_We left, deciding to head to Nebraska! FINALLY! I'm overjoyed…I told Stu and the gang that Nick was there. Harold…well, he was being Harold. _  
_Glen was happy for me, and Fran and I had a little girl talk. It's been so long since I've felt Nick; I think I forgot how his touch felt…_  
_Things to remember: Gnarly, something Skateboarders would use often. It meant something good. The Outsiders, great book…that's all for tonight._

_From Angie Galvan's Diary_

_July 12, 1990_

_We're near Guilderland (NY). We met up with a couple, makes me jealous. Mark and Perion. Lovely name.__  
Still can't wait to see Nick…well, I'm hitting the hay, I'm so tired.  
Things to remember: The Rocky Horror Picture Show…oh and Grease. Two of my favorite musicals._


	15. Nick and Angie

I remember arriving in Boulder.  
My heart pounding so hard in my chest, I figured it'd just leap out.  
Would I really see Nick, finally? My mind wandered and finally, we stopped. There was Mother Abagail.  
I smiled at her; she was so wise and so kind. My eyes wandered around. This place was so…creepy looking.  
Stu went first, then Frannie, then Harold. When I went up to her, her eyes lit up.

"By god, Angie! It's you! Finally, Angie's here!" She shouted and looked at this man.  
She whispered something to him and he left right away.  
"My, you sure look beautiful." She commented.  
"Thank you, Mother Abagail. I'm so glad to see you." I said and hugged her.  
That's when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see…

"Nick." I choked out. There he was, looking amazing and just…wow.  
"Oh my…Oh…Nick," I could only say a few words, I was so shocked.  
He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my lips tenderly.  
"Well, how about that!" The man, who Mother Abagail whispered to, said.  
I pulled away from Nick, my eyes full of tears."I didn't imagine…I mean, it's been so long and I just…" I said but couldn't form any more words.

Nick took out a notepad, wrote something on it and gave it to that man.  
"Nick says he's so happy to see you, and he loves you very much."I looked to Nick, who was smiling very happily. I knew he loved me very much; I loved him very much also.  
I got acquainted to most everyone. The man, who read Nick's note, was Ralph Bretner.  
There was also, Tom Cullen, who was a bit slow. But, I think he was the cutest thing ever.

"So, this is Angie, right?" Tom asked and Nick nodded.  
"You two are…soul mates?" He asked and Nick nodded again, this time smiling.  
"M-O-O-N, that spells soul mates!" Tom cheered.  
"It's nice to meet you, Tom." I said and shook his hand. Then something unexpected happened, Tom gave me a hug.  
Nick wrote something down and I read it."_I think he's going to like you a lot, Angie._" I smiled.

So, I was in Nick's house. Sitting there, the moon was out and so were the stars. I was waiting for him to get out of the shower.  
I couldn't believe this. I was with Nick.  
When he got out of the shower, all dripping wet and so sexy, I could barely resist. He smiled at me and dropped the towel from his waist. All those dreams had nothing on this; I wanted this for so long.  
Nick gently set me on the bed, removing my clothing ever so softly. His lips trailing kisses all over my body, making me shiver in delight. I was in pure bliss.  
He finally slipped inside me, his member being enveloped by my heat.

"_Oh Angie, why'd you go to those people?" Randall asked._  
"_Randall, you stay out of my head! I'm done with you trying to make me your wife, you have that woman Nadine for that!"_  
"_No, she isn't you…I want you, Angie…I want you, and only you." He whispered, laughing evilly._  
"_Never!" I yelled.__  
I then felt him kiss me…_

I woke up, soaked in sweat. This was not fair; I thought I'd overcome these dreams. I sat up, watching Nick sleep. He was beautiful.  
I put on my silky robe and went downstairs. I needed to get out of this house. I feared the dark man's presence was still inside my mind.

_Angiiiieeeee…Love me, darling. You will.  
Get out of my head, Flagg! You aren't getting what you want!  
That's what you think, my sweet._

I didn't know what to do. Flagg wanted me, and I mean wanted me.

_What to do…_


End file.
